


What A Wonderful World

by vertibird



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Gen, M/M, Military Background, Racism, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6996379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertibird/pseuds/vertibird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danse notices a tattoo on Nate's back and it leads to him opening up about his pre-war life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What A Wonderful World

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a Fallout Kink Meme fill that asked for Danse asking about a sole survivor's non-English tattoo and it leading to an awkward conversation. Just a warning that it does into some of the canon anti-Chinese sentiments of pre-war Fallout. I tried to be as mindful as possible and draw upon my own experiences as a Chinese-American.

Nate told Danse to meet him at the Red Rocket truck stop at nine hundred hours. Danse arrived earlier, not wanting to be late. He expected to get caught up with raiders or ferals at the very least, but the trip was relatively peaceful this time around.  
  
It's Dogmeat who greets him, the dog without his owner. Danse gets down one knee, petting and scratching Dogmeat's favorite spots. He smiles, getting up to look around for Nate. “Where's your master, boy?” Dogmeat barks, running towards the closed garage door. “Good boy.” He smiles at Dogmeat, a smile that most humans never see.  
  
As Danse approaches the garage, the door opens up. He's not sure if it's the sound of his power armor or Dogmeat's bark that alert's Nate of his presence.  
  
“Good morning, Knight, are you ready to head out?” Before Danse really gets the chance to think over the question, he looks at Nate who is clearly not ready and dressed for combat. Nate's vault suit is only halfway on, rolled down so his torso is exposed. “I see you aren't ready for combat. I'll give you more time to get dressed and make any needed preparations.” He's going to turn away, give him so privacy, but Nate gestures for him to come closer. “I know my arrival is earlier than expected, but you should always be prepared at a moment’s notice.”  
  
“Sorry, I was tinkering and got a little side tracked. Want to check it out?” Nate's obviously referring to the power armor behind him. Danse knows about Nate's fascination with modifying and building things, so this isn't something unexpected.  
  
“If you don't mind.” He says far too formal compared to how Nate's casual tone.  
  
“Of course I don't. I'm asking you to check it out, Danse, maybe even compliment me.” Nate winks at him, teasing him, which catches Danse off-guard more than he'd like to admit.  
  
That's when Danse notices something on Nate's back, what looks to be a tattoo in some Asian language. The Asian characters aren't that big, but they are black and cleanly designed. He wants to ask about it, but he's not the best with words, especially in a casual friendly setting.  
  
“That writing on your back looks Asian, most likely Chinese.” He knows a little bit about Nate's tour in Anchorage, and he knows a few things about that time due to the scribes preserving the records. “Was it to commemorate the victory of liberating Anchorage?”  
  
Nate turns his head, and instead of a laugh or a proud smile, Danse sees a rather serious face, one that he interprets as disappointed. “I'm sorry, it's your business; I shouldn't have asked when I wasn't prompted.” He's trying to connect and build a better relationship with Nate, but this feels like a setback. He should have asked more about Nate’s new modifications rather than a tattoo. They both know about power armor, a familiar and easy to talk about subject. Simple curiosity has led him to a line of questioning Danse isn’t used to.  
  
“It's fine,” Nate sighs, taking a seat on a stool. “I was just caught off guard that's all. Usually most people don't see it.” Nate looks at his feet, at the ground. Danse wonders if Nate is trying to find a polite way to shut down the conversation “Only a few people ever saw it outside my regiment.” So the tattoo is personal, and Danse feels like he might have overstepped his boundaries. “And yes, it's Chinese, traditional, not simplified.” Nate looks back up at him, looking more like his old self. “If you're curious about what it means, I can tell you.” Maybe it’s very obvious Danse wants to know, or maybe Nate's been asked this before. Danse isn’t sure if he’s more curious about the story, what the Chinese characters mean, or he just wants to understand Nate better.  
  
“I would like to know, yes, but only if you're comfortable with revealing such information.” Nate laughs at him, which makes him feel more embarrassed about this whole thing. He's starting to wish he never asked about the tattoo and kept his mouth shut (and he could always look it up later asking a scribe for help).  
  
“It's not some military secret, Danse, and even if it were, the information would be worthless these days.” He's not exactly happy he's being laughed at, but maybe that's his punishment for asking such a silly and improper question earlier.

“I never thought that, but I want you to be comfortable with me know and know I respect your boundaries.” Nate nods as Danse tries to explain his rational.

  
“I know that, and that's why I'm fine with you asking, and I don't mind telling you what it means.” Nate looks away briefly, starting to speak again. “It's America, the United States, in Chinese characters.”  
  
Danse doesn't expect to hear something like that, but the answer makes sense. Nate being a soldier must have been proud to serve his country, a true patriot. That's why he's been settling into the Brotherhood of Steel lifestyle a lot more easily than Wasteland civilians usually do.  
  
“Thank you for sharing that information with me, Knight.” Danse thinks the conversation is going to end there, but Nate looks like he has something more to say.  
  
“I got it around the time we, _liberated_ Anchorage, so you're right about that. I needed something to remind me of who I am.” The way Nate says liberated points to the fact the man doesn’t believe it to be true, but he was told to think and say such a thing.     
  
“You were a soldier fighting for your country,” Danse is confused by Nate's words. “You were, are, a great American and soldier.” How could Nate forget who he is? Or well, was.  
  
“Sometimes the other titles come to my mind more than soldier or American.” Nate mutters some other words to himself, Danse not being able to understand them as they are clearly not English. “I was a translator, fluent in Mandarin and decent enough in Cantonese and Hokkien. The Chinese Army called me Hànjiān. They never saw me in person, probably wouldn't have called me that if they did.” Danse can tell what Nate is saying is very personal as he has seen the same expression from those who have experienced the cost of war and keeping mankind safe. It reminds him of those who come back on mission alone.  
  
“They called you that because they feared you.” He reassures him, knowing this is a dark period of history he's calling back to. Manking was self-destructing and losing its morality more and more before the bombs fell.    
  
“They did, and it means traitor.” Traitor? Why would the Chinese call Nate that? “Race traitor, to be more specific.”  
  
“You were no traitor.” It might be stating the obvious, but Danse feels compelled to state it anyway. “You sacrificed and worked hard. Such a name is a tactic used to demoralize the enemy. It is pitiful they used such methods.”  
  
“I know.” Nate doesn't belittle Danse's words, showing he appreciates them. “Still, being called a race traitor when you're not the most comfortable about being half Chinese doesn't help even. Even back home I was questioned about my loyalty, and I thought by joining the military, it'd get better, but it just made me hear it from both sides.”  
  
Danse only knows a bit about pre-war life for some Americans, and only a small amount on those who were Chinese-Americans since he's not a scribe. The Brotherhood of Steel began due to brave men and women disagreeing with what the government did to its own people, and stories like this remind Danse of the unity of the Brotherhood and its loyalty to each other.  
  
“I'm sorry. You deserved better from your country than that, soldier or not.” What else could he say? He doesn’t expect this type of story from Nate. He expects stories about defeating the enemy and feeling proud to keep the United States safe.    
  
“I know, and that's why I got the tattoo. It reminds me that it's possible to have something Chinese and American in one thing.” Nate's weak little smile meets Danse's reassuring look, and the conversation starts to feel more natural rather Danse fumbling.  “Thanks for listening to me and letting me bring up old war baggage. I thought I left most of that behind at the Veteran's Hall.”  
  
“It is an honor, Knight, and I encourage you to talk to the scribes about your experiences. I know the Brotherhood of Steel would be grateful to have the chance to archive your story and not have it lost.” It would give the Brotherhood more perspective and insight into the past. The only accounts Danse read about were always very impersonal and never focused on an individual.  
  
“Maybe if you keep smiling and showing you're very much human, I'll see what I can do.” Nate laughs, and maybe, just maybe, Danse laughs a little too.


End file.
